Blue-Green 23

Sue opened her eyes. It was very still and dark. She looked down at her left hand. There was a small spark of light that danced around it. She turned her hand this way and that watching as the little light always remained just above her hand. She smiled then frowned as a cold chill surrounded her. Closing her eyes, she whispered a small prayer for guidance.

Opening her eyes once again, she found herself in a room. It was quite messy, strewn about with clothes, very masculine. She wandered over to the wall where there were photos. At first, when she looked, she could only see vague outlines of people. She held her left hand up to the pictures and the fog seemed to lift from the film. A beautiful woman stared back out from the main picture. Raven black hair and a generous smile. Sue touched the face and felt the love pouring from the photo. A gentle melody accompanied the love and she knew it was the sound of the beautiful woman's laughter. "Mara…"

She held the light up to the next frame. It was a group of school pictures. A young girl that went from age six to sixteen. The dark hair was curly and a pixie grin peeked from behind shy eyes. Touching the youngest face, Sue heard the staccato harmony of a child's ticklish laugh and saw a second picture of the girl hugging a slightly older boy, both matching ocean blue eyes that sparkled. "Althea…"

There were several more photos on the wall but they remained blank even when the light shone on them. She came to the end of the frames to find one last picture. In it were quite a few people. Sue recognized Hector in his work blues. He made a very dashing sailor. The light in her hand flared. There was James with his hand draped across the shoulders of a pretty redhead. "Red?" Sue nodded. Yes, that was her. The other woman in the picture was a brunette in the arms of a tall man wearing a beret. "Jaye…" The blonde Sergeant Hauser she remembered as well. One other man, very muscular and packed… "Six?"

The chill wind accosted her again and she closed her eyes praying for safety. Once more, when she opened them, she was in a gray, cold room. There was an ugly steel chair in the middle and lights all over the ceiling. Black boxes on the wall she recognized as speakers. Men without features began filing in to the room and Sue heard a terrible discord.

Suddenly, the lights in the room blazed brightly and more men came in dragging a single body. She covered her ears as a crashing of keys echoed in the room. The solitary figure began to thrash in the bonds of the chair. The bodies of the men in the room pressed together as if to prevent her from getting through. She could hear minor chords punctuate the silence as she tried to get closer.

The lights went out just as she pushed past the last faceless figure. Raising the small light, she groped for the chair that she knew should be in front of her. Her hand met something wet and sticky. Moving the light in front of her, she found who she was looking for.